Ski and board resorts in North Lake Tahoe continue to raise the bar with millions of dollars in capital improvements that add new lifts, expand terrain and enhance mountain and base operations services for visitors. Ski Lake Tahoe helped us out with a round-up of what’s happening at are resorts. Here’s the lowdown:

Squaw Valley

Squaw Valley has joined forces with Alpine Meadows to offer more than 6,000 acres of legendary skiing and riding accessed via a single lift ticket, the Tahoe Super Pass, and interconnecting shuttle. This season will mark the first phase of $50 million in capital improvements announced as part of a modern-day renaissance taking place at Squaw Valley that includes a new day lodge, new restaurants and upgraded skier services around the mountain. The resort’s base area will undergo a major transformation this offseason to include: a new restaurant and bar in the heart of the village; a remodel of the infamous Olympic House sundeck; transformation of the base level of Squaw Valley’s Olympic House into a new day lodge and family recreation center; and a renovation to the interior of the 17,000 square foot Squaw Kids facility. On the mountain, the upper terminal of North America’s only Funitel (28 person gondola) will be renovated to include the new Funi’s Mountaintop Café and Market along with the only ski-in/ski-out coffee shop on the continent. Three new magic carpet lifts, new rental gear, progression-based terrain features and a new lesson structure will be in place at the Snowsport School as part of an evolution taking shape to vastly improve the beginner learning experience. (Photo credit Nathan Kendall.)

 

Northstar California

Recently acquired by Vail Resorts, Northstar  has $30 million in capital improvements underway for the upcoming 2011-12 winter season, including a new 1,440 foot detachable quad chairlift and a new 700-seat on-mountain restaurant atop the resort’s Tahoe Zephyr Express Lift, featuring expansive views of the Pacific Crest. The Village at Northstar will welcome top outdoor brands Patagonia and Burton to its impressive shopping outlets, and has expanded The North Face and True North retail stores. Two-time Olympic gold medalist, professional snowboarder and skateboarder Shaun White will call Northstar his home mountain and primary training resort, and will work with Northstar and Snow Park Technologies to build a custom 22 foot halfpipe this season that will be open to the general public when White is not training. The resort has also expanded its boundaries offering 170 additional acres of new sidecountry terrain, new snowcat tours on Sawtooth Ridge and guided backcountry tours outside the resort’s boundary into a highly anticipated area of future expansion. Finally, Northstar will be the lastest Vail Resorts’ owned mountain to bring EpicMix to the slopes allowing guests to effortlessly share their ski and snowboard experience via social media and take advantage of real-time features such as finding their friends on the mountain. EpicMix photographers will also be on the slopes to take professional photos that will be uploaded directly to guests’ EpicMix accounts and can be shared for free on Facebook and Twitter. (Photo, progress on Northstar’s new lodge as of August 2011. Work has moved along at a rapid pace.)

 

Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe

Boasting Lake Tahoe’s highest base elevation, Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe enhanced its supplemental snowmaking capabilities this offseason by installing a top-to-bottom system on its Silver Dollar run ensuring early season access on the Slide Bowl portion of the resort. This side of the mountain has been the focus of significant improvements over the last few seasons such as the modern amenities now housed in the Winters Creek Lodge powered by three environmentally-friendly extreme energy windspires. Located less than thirty minutes from the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, families hoping to make turns right off the tarmac can take advantage of the reduced pricing this season on Family Packs which include two adult lift tickets and two child lift tickets (17 and under) for only $138. (Photo, left, taken after October 5, 2011 snowfall.)

 

Alpine Meadows

Alpine Meadows has joined forces with Squaw Valley to offer more than 6,000 acres of legendary skiing and riding accessed via a single lift ticket, the Tahoe Super Pass, and interconnecting shuttle. Following last season’s introduction of a cutting-edge child chairlift safety system and GPS tracking units for kids enrolled in ski school, the resort continues to invest in innovative, industry-leading technologies designed to enhance the guest experience. This season Alpine Meadows plans to debut an entirely new fleet of demo and rental equipment that take advantage of the revolutionary new rocker technologies currently advancing the sport. What differentiates this fleet from others is the “standard” equipment will be on par with most resorts’ high end demos. Additionally, the resort has created a totally unique instructional program called Adventure 55 geared exclusively towards baby boomers. The eight week program will take place on Tuesdays with a goal of pairing like-minded individuals looking to meet other active-minded members of their age group who share a passion for exploring the varied terrain found at Alpine Meadows. (Photo credit Jonathan Selkowitz.)